Public-and private-sector organizations have adopted artificial intelligence(AI)to meet the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.The successful implementation of AI is a challenging task,and previous researc...Public-and private-sector organizations have adopted artificial intelligence(AI)to meet the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.The successful implementation of AI is a challenging task,and previous research has advocated the need to explore key readiness before AI implementation.The objective of this study is to identify the AI readiness factors explored by different authors in past research.To achieve this,we conducted a rigorous literature review.The approach used in the systematic literature review is also discussed.A rigorous review of 52 studies from various journals and databases(Science Direct,Springer Link,Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,Emerald,and Google Scholar)identified 23 AI readiness factors.The key factors identified were mainly related to organizational information technology infrastructure,top management support,resource availability,collaborative culture,organizational size,organizational capability,compatibility,data quality,and financial budget,whereas the other 15 were potential factors in AI readiness.All of these factors should be considered before the implementation of AI in any organization.The findings also reflect a high failure rate,including AI readiness factors,which are intended to facilitate AI adoption in organizations and reduce the frequency of failures.These factors will aid management in developing an effective strategy for AI implementation in organizations.展开更多
Chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction(CTRCD)remains a major barrier to optimal cancer survivorship,threatening quality of life and long-term outcomes.Contemporary guidelines emphasize early detection through multim...Chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction(CTRCD)remains a major barrier to optimal cancer survivorship,threatening quality of life and long-term outcomes.Contemporary guidelines emphasize early detection through multimodal strategies,including echocardiographic global longitudinal strain(GLS)and cardiac biomarkers,but their real-world uptake is inconsistent.In this issue,Méndez-Toro et al present a retrospective cohort from Colombia that highlights this gap,reporting a CTRCD incidence of 8.8%in high-risk oncology patients.Although the authors observed clear declines in left ventricular ejection fraction and GLS among affected patients,less than 40%underwent end-of-treatment echocardiography and only one-quarter had biomarker surveillance.The study underscores three critical lessons:Multimodal monitoring is under-utilized,reported incidence likely underestimates the true burden,and low-and middle-income countries face unique challenges in implementing structured cardio-oncology programs.These findings demand a shift from sporadic monitoring to pragmatic,risk-adapted protocols that can translate early detection into meaningful cardioprotection.展开更多
BACKGROUND Pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)is a debilitating and progressive pulmonary pathology that often leads to death.Guidelines recommend the use of palliative care(PC)early in the treatment course to ease t...BACKGROUND Pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)is a debilitating and progressive pulmonary pathology that often leads to death.Guidelines recommend the use of palliative care(PC)early in the treatment course to ease the burden of symptoms;however,uptake remains low.AIM To evaluate barriers to PC uptake and determine its association with mortality in patients with PAH.METHODS All studies discussing PC in PAH were selected in our review and analysis.Clinical and cross-sectional studies were included.Barriers were described in a qualitative fashion.A random-effects meta-analysis was also conducted,in which the odds ratio for mortality was pooled and reported,along with 95%confidence intervals.RESULTS A total of 19 studies were included in the review.The most common barriers identified included feeling like the patients were“not sick enough”,belief that PC is only appropriate for end-of-life care,belief that it would burden family members,and general feelings of hopelessness.Physicians identified structural causes,such as a lack of funding and low levels of PC-related knowledge,as barriers to recommending PC.The meta-analysis showed no statistically significant difference in mortality across four included studies(Log odds ratio=0.89,95%confidence intervals:-3.06-1.28).Heterogeneity was high(I2=80.32%).CONCLUSION Uptake of PC in PAH is low due to patient and physician-level barriers,which can be overcome with systematic PC integration.Long-term studies are also needed to investigate the impact of PC on outcomes in PAH,as the current limited data show no significant difference.展开更多
Intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy set(IHFS)is amixture of two separated notions called intuitionistic fuzzy set(IFS)and hesitant fuzzy set(HFS),as an important technique to cope with uncertain and awkward information in r...Intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy set(IHFS)is amixture of two separated notions called intuitionistic fuzzy set(IFS)and hesitant fuzzy set(HFS),as an important technique to cope with uncertain and awkward information in realistic decision issues.IHFS contains the grades of truth and falsity in the formof the subset of the unit interval.The notion of IHFS was defined by many scholars with different conditions,which contain several weaknesses.Here,keeping in view the problems of already defined IHFSs,we will define IHFS in another way so that it becomes compatible with other existing notions.To examine the interrelationship between any numbers of IHFSs,we combined the notions of power averaging(PA)operators and power geometric(PG)operators with IHFSs to present the idea of intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy PA(IHFPA)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy PG(IHFPG)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy power weighted average(IHFPWA)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy power ordered weighted average(IHFPOWA)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy power ordered weighted geometric(IHFPOWG)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy power hybrid average(IHFPHA)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy power hybrid geometric(IHFPHG)operators and examined as well their fundamental properties.Some special cases of the explored work are also discovered.Additionally,the similarity measures based on IHFSs are presented and their advantages are discussed along examples.Furthermore,we initiated a new approach to multiple attribute decision making(MADM)problem applying suggested operators and a mathematical model is solved to develop an approach and to establish its common sense and adequacy.Advantages,comparative analysis,and graphical representation of the presented work are elaborated to show the reliability and effectiveness of the presented works.展开更多
Breast cancer is a frightful disease and serious concern in women around the world causing significant health care burden in both developed and developing countries.Extensive research work has shown that breast cancer...Breast cancer is a frightful disease and serious concern in women around the world causing significant health care burden in both developed and developing countries.Extensive research work has shown that breast cancer provides strong resistance to chemical agents,U V radiation,and hormonal treatments.It is generally accepted that cell genetics is not the only main reason for breast cancer and genetic risk factors,for example,mutations in RRCAI and BRCA2 genes constitute 5%-10%of all breast cancer rates.Other related factors include age,gender,race,ethnicity,weight,reproductive factors,exo-and endogenous hormonal exposures,oral contraceptives use,ultraviolet radiation,diet,and night work(circadian disruption).Many studies have revealed that dietary isoflavones regulate breast cancer occurrence,recurrence and prognosis.Dietary isoflavones have long been part of Asian population diet and there is a significant increase as compared to dietary isoflavones intake among other populations.Dietary isoflavones are natural phytoestrogens having both estrogenic and anti-estrogenic potentials on breast cancer cells in culture,animal models and in experimental trials.This literature survey provides a comprehensive overview on the tumor preventive and tumor promoting potentials of dietary isoflavones on breast cancer.In addition,this paper provides a literature review of dietary isoflavones and their effects on up-regulation and down-regulation of different signaling pathways,genes and proteins.Finally,future perspectives of dietary isoflavones and breast cancer researchers are also critically discussed,which will provide a deeper insight regarding the inner molecular mechanisms of action.展开更多
The aim of this study was to see the usefulness of fine needle aspiration by “theBethesdasystem for reporting Thyroid Cytopathology” (TBS- RTC) for non palpable thyroid nodules through ultrasound-guidance for the ev...The aim of this study was to see the usefulness of fine needle aspiration by “theBethesdasystem for reporting Thyroid Cytopathology” (TBS- RTC) for non palpable thyroid nodules through ultrasound-guidance for the evaluation and treatment planning of nonpalpable thyroid lesions. This study was conducted on 200 patients with non palpable thyroid nodules which are very low lying or felt on swallowing;in Department of Pathology and Radiology since January 2011 to June 2012. The patients were scanned and USG- FNAC was performed and reporting was done by “TBSRTC”. Of the 200 specimens 17 samples were nondiagnostic or unsatisfactory (Class I), 145 samples were benign (Class II), 20 samples were showing Atypical of Undetermined Significance (AUS) or Follicular Lesion of Undetermined Significance (FLUS);(Class III), 6 were showing follicular neoplasm or suspicious for a follicular neoplasm (Class IV), 7 samples were suspicious for malignancy (Class V) and 5 samples were positive for malignancy (Class VI). On comparison of ultrasound guided FNAC with histopathology the sensitivity for correct diagnosis was 93%, specificity was 86%, positive predictive value was 37%, negative predictive value was 99% and accuracy was 86%. USG-FNAC is a useful modality for the evaluation and treatment planning of nonpalpable thyroid lesions smaller than5 mmin the maximum diameter. TBSRTC is the best method of reporting but class III and IV are the main pitfall of this system for reporting Thyroid Cytopathology and show high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.展开更多
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third most common cause of cancer mortality. Despite the high numbers of patients diagnosed worldwide, HCC continues to pose challeng...Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third most common cause of cancer mortality. Despite the high numbers of patients diagnosed worldwide, HCC continues to pose challenging clinical problems. Good-quality ultra sound with careful evaluation of the entire liver can be a screening examination for HCC in patients at risk. The aim of the study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the Doppler sonography for differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from other focal liver lesions by taking histopathology as a gold standard. It was a cross-sectional survey, conducted in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital, Lahore in one year from 13-12-2010 to 12-12-2011. A total of 70 patients were included in this study with focal lesions on ultrasound are included while pregnant patients are excluded. After evaluating by Doppler sonography and doing core biopsy, the patients were sent to the Department of Pathology, Mayo Hospital for histopathological examination. Histopathology was assessed for confirmation of positive and negative cases. Mean age of the patients was 60.9 ± 4.7 years. Out of 70 patients, 47 patients (67.1%) were male while remaining 23 patients (32.9%) were female. On Doppler sonography 37 cases were positive for hepatocellular carcinoma and 33 cases were negative while 36 cases were positive and 34 negative on histopathology. On Doppler sonography, sensitivity (94.4%), specificity (91.1%), diagnostic accuracy (92.8%), positive predictive value (91.8%) and negative predictive value was 93.9%. We concluded that Doppler sonography is a useful method for differen- tiation of Hepatocellular carcinoma from other focal liver lesions, detection and characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma.展开更多
The rapid advancements in humanoid robotics and autonomous driving demand smart artificial optoelectronic vision systems that can emulate humanlike perception.Although many studies have reported multi-functional visua...The rapid advancements in humanoid robotics and autonomous driving demand smart artificial optoelectronic vision systems that can emulate humanlike perception.Although many studies have reported multi-functional visual chips based on artificial optoelectronic synaptic devices,few can simulate complex behavioral characteristics of humans,like specific living habits and physiological adaptations.In this study,we demonstrated MoS_(2)optoelectronic synapses capable of exhibiting tunable human-like visual adaptation abilities under various alcohol concentrations,featuring remarkable photo-induced conductance plasticity for emulating alcohol-sensitive human visual recognition.Two working mechanisms involving hydrogen-atom and oxygen-atom doping were unveiled during the concentration-dependent doping process.The visual adaptation abilities were systematically explored by controlling the doping concentration of alcohol molecules,and were further enhanced by electric and optoelectronic stimuli to emulate human-like behaviors,such as slight drunkenness,heavy drunkenness,and sobering up.Under the influence of alcohol molecules and the modulation of device operating voltage,the accuracy of handwritten digit recognition for this device has greatly increased from 78.9%to 94.7%.展开更多
The rising global burden of cancer necessitates innovative therapeutic strategies,with immunotherapy demonstrating remarkable potential.However,its clinical efficacy remains limited by low response rates and non-speci...The rising global burden of cancer necessitates innovative therapeutic strategies,with immunotherapy demonstrating remarkable potential.However,its clinical efficacy remains limited by low response rates and non-specific(off-target)delivery.This review highlights natural polymer-based hydrogels as emerging delivery platforms engineered to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.These hydrogels exploit the biocompatibility and biodegradability of natural polymers,employing chemical or physical crosslinking to encapsulate and deliver immunotherapeutic agents.The versatility of these hydrogels is discussed in the context of oral,sprayable,injectable,and implantable formulations,which are adaptable to specific tumor sites.Their responsiveness to stimuli such as pH,temperature,and enzymatic activity enables controlled and sustained release of immunotherapeutic agents,including checkpoint inhibitors,cytokines,and Toll-like receptor agonists.These hydrogels can also modulate the tumor microenvironment by regulating pH,oxygen levels,and immune cell infiltration,thereby enhancing therapeutic efficacy.Moreover,immunotherapeutic hydrogels can act synergistically with chemotherapy,radiotherapy,and phototherapies to enhance antitumor immune responses.Despite their potential,challenges such as degradation kinetics,bioactivity retention,and regulatory hurdles must be addressed to ensure successful clinical translation.This review provides insights into the rational design,development and application of stimuli-responsive hydrogels as next-generation platforms for effective cancer immunotherapy.展开更多
Metamaterial absorbers show great promise for applications in optical manipulation,photodetection,solar energy harvesting,and photocatalysis.In this work,we present a twisted stacked metamaterial design that serves as...Metamaterial absorbers show great promise for applications in optical manipulation,photodetection,solar energy harvesting,and photocatalysis.In this work,we present a twisted stacked metamaterial design that serves as a plasmonic perfect absorber with polarization selectivity.Leveraging effective energy localization,the metamaterial realizes a near-unity absorbance of up to 99.6%for right circularly polarized incidence and 97.2%for left circularly polarized incidence.At a longer wavelength in the visible range,the chiral metamaterial becomes more sensitive to the polarization state of the incident wave,retaining an ultrahigh absorption of light(~94%)for only a given polarization state,that is,light in this polarization state is effectively shielded.A giant circular dichroism signal of up to 7°can be simultaneously observed.Electromagnetic field and charge distribution simulations further reveal that the ultrahigh performance of the design is attributed to the interplay between cavity coupling,magnetic resonances,and plasmonic coupling.Besides switchable and tunable chirality,the plasmonic metamaterial presents a nearperfect absorption band with tunable operational wavelengths.We envision that the high-performance chiral gold metamaterial proposed here can serve as a good candidate for light trapping,chirality sensing,polarized light detection,and polarizationenhanced photocatalysis.展开更多
The basic reproduction number,R_(0),is a well-known quantifier of epidemic spread.However,a class of existing methods for estimating R_(0)from incidence data early in the epidemic can lead to an over-estimation of thi...The basic reproduction number,R_(0),is a well-known quantifier of epidemic spread.However,a class of existing methods for estimating R_(0)from incidence data early in the epidemic can lead to an over-estimation of this quantity.In particular,when fitting deterministic models to estimate the rate of spread,we do not account for the stochastic nature of epidemics and that,given the same system,some outbreaks may lead to epidemics and some may not.Typically,an observed epidemic that we wish to control is a major outbreak.This amounts to implicit selection for major outbreaks which leads to the over-estimation problem.We formally characterised the split between major and minor outbreaks by using Otsu's method which provides us with a working definition.We show that by conditioning a‘deterministic’model on major outbreaks,we can more reliably estimate the basic reproduction number from an observed epidemic trajectory.展开更多
Extremophiles and their enzymes are explored in this review article,which highlights the peculiar adaptations that these organisms have developed to survive in some of the harshest circumstances on Earth.Microorganism...Extremophiles and their enzymes are explored in this review article,which highlights the peculiar adaptations that these organisms have developed to survive in some of the harshest circumstances on Earth.Microorganisms known as extremophiles challenge our knowledge of habitable environments by living in settings that have extreme characteristics,such as high temperature,salinity,acidity,pressure,alkalinity,radiation,dryness,and many more.The diverse specialized enzymes that these hardy organisms have developed allow them to perform at their best in such harsh circumstances,providing priceless insights into the biochemical and structural adaptations required for survival in hostile environments.An overview of the diversity of extremophiles-which include bacteria,archaea,and even some eukaryotes that are suited to distinct extreme environments is given at the beginning of the article.Following that,it explores the intriguing realm of extremophilic enzymes,emphasizing how exceptionally robust and active they are in harsh environments.The article clarifies the mechanisms behind the remarkable functionality and robustness of extremophile enzymes by thoroughly examining their biochemical characteristics and structural aspects.The review article also examines the various biotechnological uses of extremophile enzymes,including industrial procedures,environmental cleanup,and drug manufacturing.展开更多
文摘Public-and private-sector organizations have adopted artificial intelligence(AI)to meet the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.The successful implementation of AI is a challenging task,and previous research has advocated the need to explore key readiness before AI implementation.The objective of this study is to identify the AI readiness factors explored by different authors in past research.To achieve this,we conducted a rigorous literature review.The approach used in the systematic literature review is also discussed.A rigorous review of 52 studies from various journals and databases(Science Direct,Springer Link,Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,Emerald,and Google Scholar)identified 23 AI readiness factors.The key factors identified were mainly related to organizational information technology infrastructure,top management support,resource availability,collaborative culture,organizational size,organizational capability,compatibility,data quality,and financial budget,whereas the other 15 were potential factors in AI readiness.All of these factors should be considered before the implementation of AI in any organization.The findings also reflect a high failure rate,including AI readiness factors,which are intended to facilitate AI adoption in organizations and reduce the frequency of failures.These factors will aid management in developing an effective strategy for AI implementation in organizations.
文摘Chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction(CTRCD)remains a major barrier to optimal cancer survivorship,threatening quality of life and long-term outcomes.Contemporary guidelines emphasize early detection through multimodal strategies,including echocardiographic global longitudinal strain(GLS)and cardiac biomarkers,but their real-world uptake is inconsistent.In this issue,Méndez-Toro et al present a retrospective cohort from Colombia that highlights this gap,reporting a CTRCD incidence of 8.8%in high-risk oncology patients.Although the authors observed clear declines in left ventricular ejection fraction and GLS among affected patients,less than 40%underwent end-of-treatment echocardiography and only one-quarter had biomarker surveillance.The study underscores three critical lessons:Multimodal monitoring is under-utilized,reported incidence likely underestimates the true burden,and low-and middle-income countries face unique challenges in implementing structured cardio-oncology programs.These findings demand a shift from sporadic monitoring to pragmatic,risk-adapted protocols that can translate early detection into meaningful cardioprotection.
文摘BACKGROUND Pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)is a debilitating and progressive pulmonary pathology that often leads to death.Guidelines recommend the use of palliative care(PC)early in the treatment course to ease the burden of symptoms;however,uptake remains low.AIM To evaluate barriers to PC uptake and determine its association with mortality in patients with PAH.METHODS All studies discussing PC in PAH were selected in our review and analysis.Clinical and cross-sectional studies were included.Barriers were described in a qualitative fashion.A random-effects meta-analysis was also conducted,in which the odds ratio for mortality was pooled and reported,along with 95%confidence intervals.RESULTS A total of 19 studies were included in the review.The most common barriers identified included feeling like the patients were“not sick enough”,belief that PC is only appropriate for end-of-life care,belief that it would burden family members,and general feelings of hopelessness.Physicians identified structural causes,such as a lack of funding and low levels of PC-related knowledge,as barriers to recommending PC.The meta-analysis showed no statistically significant difference in mortality across four included studies(Log odds ratio=0.89,95%confidence intervals:-3.06-1.28).Heterogeneity was high(I2=80.32%).CONCLUSION Uptake of PC in PAH is low due to patient and physician-level barriers,which can be overcome with systematic PC integration.Long-term studies are also needed to investigate the impact of PC on outcomes in PAH,as the current limited data show no significant difference.
基金supported by“Algebra and Applications Research Unit,Division of Computational Science,Faculty of Science,Prince of Songkla University”.
文摘Intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy set(IHFS)is amixture of two separated notions called intuitionistic fuzzy set(IFS)and hesitant fuzzy set(HFS),as an important technique to cope with uncertain and awkward information in realistic decision issues.IHFS contains the grades of truth and falsity in the formof the subset of the unit interval.The notion of IHFS was defined by many scholars with different conditions,which contain several weaknesses.Here,keeping in view the problems of already defined IHFSs,we will define IHFS in another way so that it becomes compatible with other existing notions.To examine the interrelationship between any numbers of IHFSs,we combined the notions of power averaging(PA)operators and power geometric(PG)operators with IHFSs to present the idea of intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy PA(IHFPA)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy PG(IHFPG)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy power weighted average(IHFPWA)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy power ordered weighted average(IHFPOWA)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy power ordered weighted geometric(IHFPOWG)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy power hybrid average(IHFPHA)operators,intuitionistic hesitant fuzzy power hybrid geometric(IHFPHG)operators and examined as well their fundamental properties.Some special cases of the explored work are also discovered.Additionally,the similarity measures based on IHFSs are presented and their advantages are discussed along examples.Furthermore,we initiated a new approach to multiple attribute decision making(MADM)problem applying suggested operators and a mathematical model is solved to develop an approach and to establish its common sense and adequacy.Advantages,comparative analysis,and graphical representation of the presented work are elaborated to show the reliability and effectiveness of the presented works.
文摘Breast cancer is a frightful disease and serious concern in women around the world causing significant health care burden in both developed and developing countries.Extensive research work has shown that breast cancer provides strong resistance to chemical agents,U V radiation,and hormonal treatments.It is generally accepted that cell genetics is not the only main reason for breast cancer and genetic risk factors,for example,mutations in RRCAI and BRCA2 genes constitute 5%-10%of all breast cancer rates.Other related factors include age,gender,race,ethnicity,weight,reproductive factors,exo-and endogenous hormonal exposures,oral contraceptives use,ultraviolet radiation,diet,and night work(circadian disruption).Many studies have revealed that dietary isoflavones regulate breast cancer occurrence,recurrence and prognosis.Dietary isoflavones have long been part of Asian population diet and there is a significant increase as compared to dietary isoflavones intake among other populations.Dietary isoflavones are natural phytoestrogens having both estrogenic and anti-estrogenic potentials on breast cancer cells in culture,animal models and in experimental trials.This literature survey provides a comprehensive overview on the tumor preventive and tumor promoting potentials of dietary isoflavones on breast cancer.In addition,this paper provides a literature review of dietary isoflavones and their effects on up-regulation and down-regulation of different signaling pathways,genes and proteins.Finally,future perspectives of dietary isoflavones and breast cancer researchers are also critically discussed,which will provide a deeper insight regarding the inner molecular mechanisms of action.
文摘The aim of this study was to see the usefulness of fine needle aspiration by “theBethesdasystem for reporting Thyroid Cytopathology” (TBS- RTC) for non palpable thyroid nodules through ultrasound-guidance for the evaluation and treatment planning of nonpalpable thyroid lesions. This study was conducted on 200 patients with non palpable thyroid nodules which are very low lying or felt on swallowing;in Department of Pathology and Radiology since January 2011 to June 2012. The patients were scanned and USG- FNAC was performed and reporting was done by “TBSRTC”. Of the 200 specimens 17 samples were nondiagnostic or unsatisfactory (Class I), 145 samples were benign (Class II), 20 samples were showing Atypical of Undetermined Significance (AUS) or Follicular Lesion of Undetermined Significance (FLUS);(Class III), 6 were showing follicular neoplasm or suspicious for a follicular neoplasm (Class IV), 7 samples were suspicious for malignancy (Class V) and 5 samples were positive for malignancy (Class VI). On comparison of ultrasound guided FNAC with histopathology the sensitivity for correct diagnosis was 93%, specificity was 86%, positive predictive value was 37%, negative predictive value was 99% and accuracy was 86%. USG-FNAC is a useful modality for the evaluation and treatment planning of nonpalpable thyroid lesions smaller than5 mmin the maximum diameter. TBSRTC is the best method of reporting but class III and IV are the main pitfall of this system for reporting Thyroid Cytopathology and show high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.
文摘Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third most common cause of cancer mortality. Despite the high numbers of patients diagnosed worldwide, HCC continues to pose challenging clinical problems. Good-quality ultra sound with careful evaluation of the entire liver can be a screening examination for HCC in patients at risk. The aim of the study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the Doppler sonography for differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from other focal liver lesions by taking histopathology as a gold standard. It was a cross-sectional survey, conducted in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital, Lahore in one year from 13-12-2010 to 12-12-2011. A total of 70 patients were included in this study with focal lesions on ultrasound are included while pregnant patients are excluded. After evaluating by Doppler sonography and doing core biopsy, the patients were sent to the Department of Pathology, Mayo Hospital for histopathological examination. Histopathology was assessed for confirmation of positive and negative cases. Mean age of the patients was 60.9 ± 4.7 years. Out of 70 patients, 47 patients (67.1%) were male while remaining 23 patients (32.9%) were female. On Doppler sonography 37 cases were positive for hepatocellular carcinoma and 33 cases were negative while 36 cases were positive and 34 negative on histopathology. On Doppler sonography, sensitivity (94.4%), specificity (91.1%), diagnostic accuracy (92.8%), positive predictive value (91.8%) and negative predictive value was 93.9%. We concluded that Doppler sonography is a useful method for differen- tiation of Hepatocellular carcinoma from other focal liver lesions, detection and characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program(2022YFA1203801,2024YFB4405300,and 2022YFA1204300)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.62275076,62101181,52221001,and 62090035)+2 种基金the Key Program of the Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Department(2024JK2071,2023JJ20016,and 2023RC3093)the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing(CSTB2022NSCQ-MSX0835)the Postgraduate Scientific Research Innovation Project of Hunan Province(CX20240406)。
文摘The rapid advancements in humanoid robotics and autonomous driving demand smart artificial optoelectronic vision systems that can emulate humanlike perception.Although many studies have reported multi-functional visual chips based on artificial optoelectronic synaptic devices,few can simulate complex behavioral characteristics of humans,like specific living habits and physiological adaptations.In this study,we demonstrated MoS_(2)optoelectronic synapses capable of exhibiting tunable human-like visual adaptation abilities under various alcohol concentrations,featuring remarkable photo-induced conductance plasticity for emulating alcohol-sensitive human visual recognition.Two working mechanisms involving hydrogen-atom and oxygen-atom doping were unveiled during the concentration-dependent doping process.The visual adaptation abilities were systematically explored by controlling the doping concentration of alcohol molecules,and were further enhanced by electric and optoelectronic stimuli to emulate human-like behaviors,such as slight drunkenness,heavy drunkenness,and sobering up.Under the influence of alcohol molecules and the modulation of device operating voltage,the accuracy of handwritten digit recognition for this device has greatly increased from 78.9%to 94.7%.
基金funded by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(No.LD22H310004)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.82473894)Zhejiang Sci-Tech University Research Start-up Fund(No.24042190-Y).
文摘The rising global burden of cancer necessitates innovative therapeutic strategies,with immunotherapy demonstrating remarkable potential.However,its clinical efficacy remains limited by low response rates and non-specific(off-target)delivery.This review highlights natural polymer-based hydrogels as emerging delivery platforms engineered to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.These hydrogels exploit the biocompatibility and biodegradability of natural polymers,employing chemical or physical crosslinking to encapsulate and deliver immunotherapeutic agents.The versatility of these hydrogels is discussed in the context of oral,sprayable,injectable,and implantable formulations,which are adaptable to specific tumor sites.Their responsiveness to stimuli such as pH,temperature,and enzymatic activity enables controlled and sustained release of immunotherapeutic agents,including checkpoint inhibitors,cytokines,and Toll-like receptor agonists.These hydrogels can also modulate the tumor microenvironment by regulating pH,oxygen levels,and immune cell infiltration,thereby enhancing therapeutic efficacy.Moreover,immunotherapeutic hydrogels can act synergistically with chemotherapy,radiotherapy,and phototherapies to enhance antitumor immune responses.Despite their potential,challenges such as degradation kinetics,bioactivity retention,and regulatory hurdles must be addressed to ensure successful clinical translation.This review provides insights into the rational design,development and application of stimuli-responsive hydrogels as next-generation platforms for effective cancer immunotherapy.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.21975060,X.L.W.)Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS(No.2019039,X.L.W.)+3 种基金This work was also supported by financial support from the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDB36000000,Z.Y.T.)National Key Basic Research Program of China(No.2016YFA0200700,Z.Y.T.)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.92056204,21890381,and 21721002,Z.Y.T.)Frontier Science Key Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.QYZDJ-SSWSLH038,Z.Y.T.).
文摘Metamaterial absorbers show great promise for applications in optical manipulation,photodetection,solar energy harvesting,and photocatalysis.In this work,we present a twisted stacked metamaterial design that serves as a plasmonic perfect absorber with polarization selectivity.Leveraging effective energy localization,the metamaterial realizes a near-unity absorbance of up to 99.6%for right circularly polarized incidence and 97.2%for left circularly polarized incidence.At a longer wavelength in the visible range,the chiral metamaterial becomes more sensitive to the polarization state of the incident wave,retaining an ultrahigh absorption of light(~94%)for only a given polarization state,that is,light in this polarization state is effectively shielded.A giant circular dichroism signal of up to 7°can be simultaneously observed.Electromagnetic field and charge distribution simulations further reveal that the ultrahigh performance of the design is attributed to the interplay between cavity coupling,magnetic resonances,and plasmonic coupling.Besides switchable and tunable chirality,the plasmonic metamaterial presents a nearperfect absorption band with tunable operational wavelengths.We envision that the high-performance chiral gold metamaterial proposed here can serve as a good candidate for light trapping,chirality sensing,polarized light detection,and polarizationenhanced photocatalysis.
基金This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 955708.
文摘The basic reproduction number,R_(0),is a well-known quantifier of epidemic spread.However,a class of existing methods for estimating R_(0)from incidence data early in the epidemic can lead to an over-estimation of this quantity.In particular,when fitting deterministic models to estimate the rate of spread,we do not account for the stochastic nature of epidemics and that,given the same system,some outbreaks may lead to epidemics and some may not.Typically,an observed epidemic that we wish to control is a major outbreak.This amounts to implicit selection for major outbreaks which leads to the over-estimation problem.We formally characterised the split between major and minor outbreaks by using Otsu's method which provides us with a working definition.We show that by conditioning a‘deterministic’model on major outbreaks,we can more reliably estimate the basic reproduction number from an observed epidemic trajectory.
文摘Extremophiles and their enzymes are explored in this review article,which highlights the peculiar adaptations that these organisms have developed to survive in some of the harshest circumstances on Earth.Microorganisms known as extremophiles challenge our knowledge of habitable environments by living in settings that have extreme characteristics,such as high temperature,salinity,acidity,pressure,alkalinity,radiation,dryness,and many more.The diverse specialized enzymes that these hardy organisms have developed allow them to perform at their best in such harsh circumstances,providing priceless insights into the biochemical and structural adaptations required for survival in hostile environments.An overview of the diversity of extremophiles-which include bacteria,archaea,and even some eukaryotes that are suited to distinct extreme environments is given at the beginning of the article.Following that,it explores the intriguing realm of extremophilic enzymes,emphasizing how exceptionally robust and active they are in harsh environments.The article clarifies the mechanisms behind the remarkable functionality and robustness of extremophile enzymes by thoroughly examining their biochemical characteristics and structural aspects.The review article also examines the various biotechnological uses of extremophile enzymes,including industrial procedures,environmental cleanup,and drug manufacturing.
